Duck laying issues! Vet is no help!

[Miss Lydia]

Are you in the USA? Her diet is off she should be eating a good diet formulated for ducks or waterfowl first off if you can’t get that then it’s chicken feed either layer or an all flock with oyster shell on the side. Corn is not a good wholesome diet . I agree with @DuneDucks sure sounds like a laying issue. Calcium Gluconate is the go to for that 1 ml over a small amount of treat something she loves and will gobble right down.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

She's always drinking water and I'm always cleaning it out and replacing it with clean water. She's also obsessed with ice so she's always eating that. I was shocked to be honest, when the vet mentioned she was dehydrated.

She eats worms, corn pellets and veggies. She eats rice as well.

Maybe the vet was off a little on some things
As long as they have water they usually don’t get dehydrated unless they can’t move ti get to water
When my boy had his boy part bit and was in some discomfort he wasn’t eating but he was constantly drinking still
Do you provide grit ? I know they say when eating anything other then regular feed it’s best to leave a bowl of grit ( little stones ) out to help them digest anything that isn’t chicken or duck feed
I keep a bowl out 24/7 amd they use it as they need. My yard doesn’t provide what the wild ducks use to help them
They also say not to give more treats then feed
I do notice if I give more then I should they have white liquid with little to no poo as it constipates them so I try to limit the amount of treats.
Greens I don’t worry about as they eat grass all day and in the winter I supply lots of greens

 

[KaleIAm]

Having a high calcium level, indicated by a blood test, is normal for reproductively active (laying) ducks. It doesn't necessarily indicate a problem. I get preventative blood work done on my ducks regularly and my very experienced avian vet always says something like, "their calcium levels are above normal, but that's to be expected since they are both laying."

I'm sure at some point it would be too high - and I'm not sure what that would be since I pay a vet to interpret the lab work for me.

Also, when my ducks were younger they would give an egg every day all spring, summer, and fall. So... Maybe your vet is thinking more about wild mallard egg laying patterns?

Regarding the dark room, I have done that with one of my ducks, under the guidance of my vet, and it worked. My duck was very sick and it provided immediate relief. We basically turned their barn room into a blackout room. We sealed every crack. We gave all the ducks a 10 hour daylight schedule year around by putting a timer on a light inside the barn, and putting them to bed on time every night. They also can't have ANY noise that keeps them up. My vet told me that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. After a season we stopped, and my duck's symptoms returned, so we had to do this for the remainder of her life.

We also removed all eggs, real or dummy, and even egg shaped/sized rocks. We destroyed nests and dark cubbies. All these things encourage egg production.

We moved all the duck items around the aviary and barn regularly. This makes them feel like it is not a secure place to raise babies. So, put the food bowls/water buckets/bathing pool/storage containers in different spots as often as you can.

You might want to get the ok from a professional on this one. I never would have done this, except my vet told me to and my duck was going to die if she didn't get better. We fed her only scratch, as much as she could eat, but just 3 times a day and then picked up the food. She was allowed to forage. I gave her only one mealworm a day. The theory is that if food isn't plentiful it isn't a good time to have babies. She had frequent vet checks and blood work - vitamin injections at the vet and oyster shells free choice at home.

Sorry this is so long.... But this is what worked for me and it is super detailed. I had another duck who had the hormonal implant and injection and that works too.

 

[Compostflower]

Wow you are a wealth of information thank you for taking the time to share your story!